Sindh bans teachers, students from carrying phones during matric, ninth exams

• Anyone found carrying a phone will be asked to leave exam centre.
• Students, teachers will be provided with drinking water within exam hall.
• There will be enhanced security inside and outside of exam centres.

KARACHI: In a bid to eradicate the menace of "copy culture", Sindh has banned all students and teachers from carrying their mobile phones during matric and grade-9 exams. 

The decision was made during a meeting on matric and class ninth examinations, which are set to begin tomorrow (May 17).

Provincial minister for universities and boards Ismail Raho chaired the meeting, while other senior officials from different education boards across Sindh were in attendance.  

The meeting mulled over ways to put an end to the "copy culture" and reviewed the security preparations for the board examinations across Sindh.

On the occasion, Raho announced that students and teachers across all the examination centres across Sindh, including Karachi, will be barred from bringing their cellular phones. 

He added that if anyone was found in possession of a phone, they will be asked to step out of the examination hall. 

The minister further said that students and teachers will be provided with drinking water within the examination hall so that they do not step out during the exam. 

There will be enhanced security, both inside and outside of the examination centres, to prevent the copy culture. 

A total of 726,979 ninth and matric students from across Sindh, including Karachi, will appear in the exams from tomorrow. 

Raho said that for the purpose, 1,312 examination centres have been set up in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpur Khas, and Nawabshah divisions, while 112 vigilance teams have been formed.

The minister demanded from the federal government refrain from cutting off electricity supply during the examinations, otherwise, students will face difficulties in taking the exams due to the rising temperatures in the province. 

Raho further directed the heads of examination centres across Sindh, including Karachi, to keep generators on standby during the examinations.

Meanwhile, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) empowers will be enforced within the vicinity of the examination centres, which allows district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time.